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WHAT’S NEW IN 2017
In 2016, we published the first-ever recruiting funnel benchmark report, with key metrics
for the recruiting industry. The inaugural report was met with great feedback and calls for
more data. This year, we’re going even bigger.
Based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of Jobvite’s massive database of
more than 69 million job seekers and 15 million applications, we’ve compiled the most
comprehensive recruiting benchmark report in the industry. With this annual report, we
have one goal in mind: to make it easier for you, our Jobvite fans, to recruit top talent. The
data is free, and it’s yours to put to work.
The 2017 report covers even more metrics, offering a combination of data analysis and
actionable tips to simplify how you measure—and improve—your recruiting efforts. In
addition to recruiting funnel benchmark data by company size (which was included
in the 2016 report), this year’s report also includes recruiting funnel benchmark data by
revenue, by source of applicants and hires, and by industry.
We also looked at the best companies out there—large and small—that are part of rankings
like the Inc. 5000 and Fortune 500. This will help you understand not only how companies
exactly like yours are performing in the market, but also how the best companies are
performing, offering a growth path as you improve your own metrics.
The most important part of the report is that we give actionable advice to help you raise
your recruiting game and perform above industry benchmarks. So along with results and
analysis of the benchmark data, the report also includes practical advice that will empower
you to take the appropriate next steps.
We hope you find the results valuable. And as always, we look forward to your feedback
and questions.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE RECRUITING FUNNEL
The number of unique visitors to your career website.
This is driven by your employer brand which should showcase your culture
and why it’s great to work at your company. It should inspire both active and
passive candidates to learn more about your business.
The number of applications received for a specific job opening.
To help convert prospective candidates into applicants, it’s important to make sure
that your apply process is easy to use—on both desktops and mobile devices—and
doesn’t require an applicant to register.
The number of interviews conducted for each requisition.
In this stage of the funnel, candidate experience is important—from the time a candidate
gets their first email from a recruiter to the follow-up after the interviews are completed.
Above all, make sure that the candidate experience is stress-free and streamlined.
The number of offers extended to candidates for a particular open position.
In today’s hot job market, it’s important to deliver fair, competitive offers and—when you have the
perfect candidate in the interview process—it’s good to have an offer ready to go so that you don’t
lose him or her to competing offer.
The candidates who have accepted your offer letter.
All of your efforts have paid off. You have successfully filled the position with a great candidate. Remember
that onboarding is still recruiting and you’re an integral part to making sure that the new employee feels
welcome and gets up to speed and productive quickly.
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews

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RECRUITING FUNNEL BENCHMARK RESULTS
Before diving into the new findings, let’s take a look at 2016 from a macroeconomics standpoint:
• The U.S. economy keeps recovering from the 2007-08 crisis, with the unemployment rate hovering around 5%—almost as
low as it was before the crisis
• In an election year that caused high levels of anxiety and uncertainty, people are less likely to take risks and change jobs
• It was only the second time in a decade that the Federal Reserve decided to increase interest rates, which has decreased
how much companies spend on new talent
• The average salary in the U.S. decreased, meaning that compared to previous years, companies were less likely to pay
above average salaries for new talent
The benchmark results support this macroeconomic trends, as we see lower average number of candidates per open
requisitions and a lower offer acceptance rate, making 2016 a difficult year to hire top talent.
2015 2016
Visitors to Applicants 11% 8.59%
Applicants per Open Requisition 59 52
Applicants to Interviews 12% 15.25%
Interviews to Offers 17% 19.78%
Offers to Hires 89% 83%
Top-to-Bottom 0.2% 0.28%
Average Time-to-Hire (Days) 41 39

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Recruiting Funnel Stages Analyzed
Year-Over-Year
In this section, compare your numbers to the blended benchmark results for all companies.
Conversion Rate of Career Website Visitors to
Applicants: 8.59% in 2016, down from 11% in 2015
Greater than 8.59%
• You are doing great. You probably have an awesome brand and a killer career website
Less than 8.59%:
• You are below the industry benchmark, so you should prioritize improving your employer
brand and optimizing your career website and application process
Pro tip: Partner with your website team to make sure that the path from your
website to application provides an excellent candidate experience.
Ask yourself:
• How long does your application take to complete from start to submit?
• Can you eliminate questions you could ask in a phone screen to shorten the
application?
• Can applicants search open positions and apply on their phones?
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews

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Average Number of Applications Per Open
Requisition: 52 in 2016 down from 59 in 2015
• In a span of six years, the average number of applications increased from 32 to 52 today.
We think this is positively correlated with the health of the economy
• In 2015, the average number of applications peaked at 59, but amidst the uncertainty of
2016, that number has decreased as fewer people switch jobs
Greater than 52:
• You are getting good quality candidates, and you should be thrilled!
Less than 52:
• It doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong. Overall, most companies are facing a
lower average number of candidates
• This might also reflect the fact that you represent a smaller sized company or the specific
requisition requires a unique skillset
Pro tip: If you’ve been seeing a sharp decline in applications, it’s worth digging
into your application sources and making sure that there aren’t any changes
your top performers. Check out the table on Page 12 for benchmarks by source.
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews

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Conversion Rate from Applications to
Interviews: 15.25% in 2016 up from 12%
in 2015
• More applicants are being asked to interview in 2016 than in 2009
• In 2015, 1 in 8 applicants were being asked to interview. In 2016, it got a little easier to land
an interview as that number decreased to 1 in 6
• Our theory here is simple: the increase in application to interview rate is aligned with the
decrease in applicants per open position. With a decreased candidate flow comes higher
application to interview rates
Pro tip: Since the overall candidate flow is low and candidates are more picky,
efficiency is paramount. Stay focused on creating a recruiting process that is
smooth and fast. Stay aligned with your hiring manager and interview team so
resume and interview feedback don’t slow down the hiring velocity.
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews

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Conversion Rate from Interview to Offer:
19.78% in 2016 up from 17% in 2015
• In the last four years, companies have seen this number jumping between 16% to 19%
• In 2016, a 19.78% interview conversion rate would translate to 5 interviews per offer.
Greater than 19.78%
• You’re either choosing only the best fitting candidates to interview, or you don’t have a
lot of candidates to interview
• If you’re interviewing fewer but better candidates, you’ll spend less time interviewing
and speed up the hiring process
• If you don’t have enough candidates to interview, go back to your application rates and
increase the number of candidates you interview or applications you receive
Lower than 19.78%
• You’re interviewing more candidates to get to an offer letter than the average recruiter
• Make sure your hiring team knows the role criteria so they can decide on a final
candidate confidently
Conversion Rate of Offers Accepted: 83.1%
in 2016 down from 89% in 2015
• In the last eight years, this number stayed relatively steady. The 6% decrease we saw in
2016 simply means that candidates are more likely to reject job offers
Pro tip: In a time of macroeconomic uncertainty, candidates may be more likely
to reject offers. So make sure that you understand a candidate’s motivations for
the job search.
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews

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Average Top-to-Bottom Funnel Efficiency:
0.28% in 2016 up from .2% in 2015
• Average Top-to-Bottom Funnel Efficiency: 0.28% in 2016 up from .2% in 2015
• This number measures top-to-bottom funnel efficiency. You need to have around 500
job description impressions on your career website to make one hire
Greater than 0.28%
• Your funnel is extremely efficient across all of the different stages
Less than 0.28%
• Drill down into each funnel stage to identify leaks in your funnel. A small change at the
bottom of your funnel can have dramatic effects on your overall efficiency
Average Time-to-Hire: 39 days in 2016 down
from 43 Days in 2015
• The overall time-to-hire trend keeps decreasing, especially in large metropolitan
areas. With economic uncertainty, fewer qualified applicants in the market, and more
candidates rejecting offers, it’s likely that this decrease is resulting from more efficient
hiring processes
• When recruiters find a good candidate, they try to accelerate the hiring process so they
don’t lose the candidate
Pro tip: Since candidates are more likely to reject your offer today than
ever before, don’t stall! By moving quickly, you’ll be more successful filling
positions with the best people.
Career Website Visitors
Offers
Hires
Applications
Interviews

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RECRUITING FUNNEL BENCHMARKS – BY COMPANY SIZE
In this section, you can compare your numbers to the benchmark numbers of other companies that are similar to to your size.
Number of
Employees
Applications
per Job
Applicants
to Interview
Interviews
to Offers
Offers to Hires Top – Bottom
Time to
Fill (Days)
<250 55 15.49% 17.55% 82.35% 2.05% 40
250 - 500 47 16.25% 21.77% 83.10% 2.61% 38
500 - 2,500 46 14.16% 24.84% 85.50% 2.91% 40
2,500 - 5,000 49 13.04% 23.15% 87.27% 2.46% 39
5,000+ 42 10.32% 23.41% 79.73% 1.64% 35
Less than 250 employees: Had the highest number of applications on average for each open job, but conduct fewer
interviews than companies in other segments
250-500 employees: Had the highest percentage of applicants in for interviews and are above average in every
category
500-2,500 employees: Even though they had on average slightly longer time to fill, they have the highest ratios for
interviews-to-offers and are the most efficient in terms of getting the right people through the entire funnel
2,500-5,000 employees: Had the highest offer-to-accept ratio
5,000+ employees: Had low top-to-bottom funnel ratio; in other words, the data shows that these companies are less
efficient in terms of getting the right people through the funnel
What do the Numbers Mean?

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Custom Campaign
5Xmore effective
Referrals
5Xmore effective
Internal Hiring
6Xmore effective
Pro tip: When allocating budget on various sources, keep in mind that quality is more
important than quantity. Yes, there are some sources that drive a high number of candidates,
but don’t lead to hires. Focus budget dollars on driving quality hires.
What’s the Most Effective Source of Hires?
Internal hires, referrals, and custom campaigns have a much higher percentage of hires when compared to
the average percentage hired across all sources, indicating they are the most effective sources.
• Source of Applicants: Most applicants still come from job boards and career sites. These two
sources combined account for almost 90% of all applicants
• Source of Hires: Although there is a high percentage of applicants from career sites (33.9%) and
job boards (52.17%), the percentage of hires is much less: Career Sites (27.3%), Job Boards (18.7%),
indicating those sources are less effective
What do the Numbers Mean?

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RECRUITING FUNNEL BENCHMARK – BY INDUSTRY
In this section, you can compare your numbers to the benchmark numbers of other companies in your industry.
Industry
Applications
per Job
Applicants to
Interviews
Interviews to
Offers Offers to Hires
Applications
to Hires
Time to
Fill (Days)
Manufacturing 49 13.95% 21.69% 86.14% 2.51% 40
Retail 54 15.05% 18.62% 83.52% 2.22% 38
Financial Institutions 44 17.35% 24.09% 82.33% 2.81% 39
Healthcare 37 14.50% 25.20% 83.79% 2.51% 39
Services 54 15.39% 18.39% 82.87% 2.16% 40
Technology 55 14.90% 17.87% 74.27% 1.96% 40
• Technology, retail and services have the highest number of candidates per requisition whereas healthcare, financial
services, and manufacturing have the lowest number of candidates per requisition. These findings make sense, as
the latter group often requires more specialized skills, creating a more narrow candidate pool and resulting in fewer
candidates
• Financial institutions have the highest percentage of applicants to interviews and the most efficient recruiting funnel
from top-to-bottom
• Technology has the lowest number of offers to hires and the lowest application-to-hire percentage, or least efficient
recruiting funnel from top-to-bottom
• In terms of time-to-fill, all industries were within one or two days of each other, so there isn’t a lot of variance
What do the Numbers Mean?

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RECRUITING BENCHMARK – BY TOP PERFORMING COMPANIES
Companies like to compare themselves to other companies that are similar to them—and often, to those that they are aspiring
to be like— in terms of size, revenue, and industry. With aggregated benchmark numbers for top ranking U.S. companies by
Inc., Forbes and Deloitte, this section provides the metrics you’ll need to compare your own numbers to those of the best
companies out there.
List
Applications
per Job
Applicants to
Interviews
Interviews to
Offers
Offers to
Hires
Applications
to Hires
Time to
Fill (Days)
Inc. 5000 51 16.60% 13.88% 81.67% 2.35% 39
Deloitte Fast 500 59 12.61% 15.67% 87.14% 1.41% 41
Fortune 500 59 13.85% 17.69% 82.54% 1.69% 37
Forbes 75 9.00% 15.80% 91.60% 1.60% 41
Fortune -
Unicorns
63 15.52% 13.88% 85.68% 1.52% 42
Fortune - Best
Workplaces for Women
72 11.20% 17.20% 94.60% 2.00% 34
Companies on each of these lists receive more applications per requisition, on average, than the overall benchmark.
Consequently, they also have a lower ratio of applicants invited to interview, and of those who interview, a lower
percentage receive offers than the benchmark. These findings make sense, likely due to a high number of candidates
competing for fewer spots in a highly selective process to work for the most desirable companies.
What do the Numbers Mean?

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Highlights From Our Analysis
• Companies on the Inc. 5000 list have the best top to bottom funnel conversion (2.35%), which means that
they have the most efficient recruiting process
• The Fortune 500 list has the highest interview to offer percentage, implying that they are very selective
about who they invite in to interview, and therefore conduct fewer interviews before giving an offer.
In addition, the short time-to-fill stat reflects an efficient hiring process—not surprising for the larger,
successful organizations that have well-oiled recruiting process and technologies in place
• Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Women list has the highest offer-to-hire ratio and shortest time-to-
fill, all of which reflects very efficient recruiting processes. They are very selective about who they invite
to the interview stage, but from that point on, they move quickly and whey they get to the offer stage.
Candidates tend to accept their offers more than other companies on other popular lists
• Companies on the Deloitte Fast 500 and Fortune Unicorns rankings are trying to keep up with their
fast growth and need to hire more people, faster. Their top-to-bottom funnel percentages are below the
overall average, while their time-to-fill is on the longer end of the spectrum. It is very possible that though
they are growing fast and hiring a lot of people, they are still in the process of building—rather than
optimizing—the recruiting funnel and are less efficient when compared to other companies

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NEXT STEPS? PRIORITIZE DATA MANAGEMENT
Now that you have a good idea about how you stack up across all areas of the recruiting funnel, what’s
next? Here are some tips to help you bolster your recruiting efforts. Regardless of whether you’re ahead or
behind these recruiting benchmarks, everyone can benefit from these best practices.
Differentiate Between ‘Must-Have’ and ‘Nice-to-Have’ Data: It may sound cool to be able to
track every single touchpoint between a candidate and a recruiter, but is it necessary? Typically
not. Focus on must-have data, or data that that will help you make better decisions, cut costs,
and improve efficiency.
Once you have the basic metrics in place, then you can start comparing yourself to others and
identify problem areas, make adjustments within your recruiting funnel, and ultimately create a
continuous improvement process that will get you closer to best-in-class.
Create Standard Processes for Data Capture: How you capture your company data—and its
usefulness—depends on you, not on the recruiting software you purchase. You need to have
processes in place to ensure that data is updated frequently, easy to access, and simple to
report on. Make sure to define standard fields clearly so that your data is easier to capture. For
example, do you use California or CA? Do you use Sr. Director or Senior Director? Make a call on
which you will use and stick with it.
The age old truth, “Garbage in, garbage out,” holds true now more than ever before asdatasets
continue to get more and more complex. Avoid duplicates, try to keep manual entry to a
minimum and practice clean data hygiene.
Identify One Owner of Recruiting Benchmark Data: If possible, designate one person who will
own the benchmarking process, from capturing the right data and making sure nobody muddies
it, to performing the analysis. That doesn’t mean that there’s not a team under that individual,
but having one point of contact can simplify the process.
Benchmark Regularly: Depending on the size of your company and resources available,
benchmarking should happen anywhere from once a quarter to be truly effective and allow you
to course correct and optimize throughout the year.
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THEN, FOCUS ON OPTIMIZING YOUR
RECRUITING FUNNEL
In addition to the above best practices, following are specific next steps—depending on how you measure
up—to incorporate into your ongoing recruiting strategy.
Determine the Health of Your Recruiting Funnel: Determine the conversion rates for your
company at each stage of the recruiting funnel, then compare your numbers to the benchmarks
based on companies of similar size. Are you doing better or worse than benchmark numbers?
Identify which stages need the most attention. This will be your compass guiding you to next steps
and where to focus resources.
Work Backwards to Quantify Your Candidate Pipeline Requirements: Look at how many hires
you need to make this quarter, or this year, then calculate how many applicants and site visitors
you need, based on your conversion rates. It’s also wise to attach resource and budget needs to
the steps needed to achieve these goals.
Partner with Marketing: To improve your employment brand and create an excellent candidate
experience, be sure to make the marketing team your ally. After all, they are experts when it
comes to creating branded experiences that inspire engagement and conversion.
Personalize Your Messages to Your Target Audience: Custom campaigns tailored to your
audience are absolutely critical in building relationships with and ultimately attracting the top
talent you seek. For example, campaigns to attract college graduates are very different than those
that seek to recruit military veterans, but many of the same principles apply. Marketing can help
show you the way.
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4

20.
Jobvite is the industry leader in recruiting software that helps
emerging, mid-market, and enterprise companies hire top
talent easily, efficiently, and effectively. Our comprehensive and
analytics-drivenrecruiting platform accelerates recruiting with
an easy-to-use Applicant Tracking System (ATS), social recruiting
capabilities, mobile-optimized branded career sites, a recruiting
branding solution, on-demand video screening, advanced
analytics, onboarding, and seamless integration with other HR
systems. Focused exclusively on recruiting software since 2006,
with offices in San Mateo and London, Jobvite has thousands
of customers including LinkedIn, Schneider Electric, Amway,
Zappos, and GoDaddy. To learn more & request a free demo,
visit www.jobvite.com or follow us @Jobvite.
Authors:
Ronen Shetelboim, Director, Demand Generation
and Marketing Operations
Weijen Hsu, Senior Engineer
Amanda Van Nuys, Senior Director, Marketing
Communications and Customer Marketing
Join the Discussion
How do the metrics from the report compare
with yours? How will you use this new source of
benchmark data? What advice would you give
to those who are significantly behind? What
advice would you like to hear from those who
are significantly ahead? Share your comments
on Twitter: @jobvite #recruitingfunnel.
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